Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Zeta" Fine Handmade Knife

• Size: Length overall: 8.75" (22.2 cm), Blade Length: 4.25" (10.8 cm), Thickness: .160" (4.1 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 7.5 oz. (213 grams) Sheath: 4.9 oz. (139 grams)
• Blade: O1 high carbon tungsten-vanadium tool steel, deep cryogenically treated, triple tempered, mirror finished, hot blued. Hardness: 59.5 HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 austenitic stainless steel, mirror polished
• Handle: Sunset Jasper gemstone (Mexico)
• Sheath: Hand-carved leather shoulder Inlaid with black-gray rayskin
• Knife: Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. My Zeta pattern is a very straightforward knife, a linear form, surprisingly solid and smooth, clean, and consistent. This is a great straight knife, without a lot of curves, a workhorse of a knife that is made fine enough for collection. 
  • The steel I chose for the knife is O1. O1 is an actual tool steel. It's not just an improvement on standard carbon steels, it is a workhorse of the steel tool trade, a fine steel, actually classified as a cold work tool steel. It's used for die-forming other steels, to make taps, cutters, broaches, and shears, a steel that has a proven reputation of performance. While O1 steels vary, this is a premium O1 steel, with substantial amounts of tungsten and vanadium, forming wear-resistant complex carbides. Add to that my deep cryogenic processing of this steel at -320°F and triple tempering cycles, and this steel has a significant transformational performance curve, with several times the wear resistance of conventionally processed O1. I've mirror polished the hollow ground blade and performed my hot bluing of the surface, creating a corrosion inhibiting surface with the appearance of black mirrored glass. The tang is fully tapered for balance and I've included some simple segments of filework on the spine for the thumb.
  • Note about the photos and the finish: Since this knife is hot blued, I took two sets of photos showing the blade (the obverse and reverse sides). One set of photos has a photographic light reflector above the knife, so you can see the hollow grind and the grind lines. Those are the photos that show the bolsters in lighter gray or white. The other set is done without a light reflector above, and in those photos, the bolsters are black or subdued. In those photos, you can get an idea of the actual black, glassy, slick surface appearance of the hot blued blade. You can also tell which is which by the alternate text shown when your cursor hovers over the photo. Hot blued mirror finishes on knife blades are the most difficult to photograph well, so this is the best way to demonstrate their appearance in varying light conditions.
  • I bolstered the knife with zero-care 304 high chromium, high nickel stainless steel bolsters, which are contoured and polished for a comfortable, smooth feel. The bolsters are secured with zero-clearance peened pins and dovetailed to bed the handle scales. The front bolsters are wide and flat, feeling very smooth in the hand. The rear bolster is wide and has a bit of heel drop that helps the fingers to lock the knife into the hand.
  • The handle scales I chose for the Zeta are Sunset Jasper from Mexico. This is an incredibly hard rock! This is one of the hardest, toughest, most difficult to grind, shape, and finish stones I've worked with. It's a true jasper, over 7 on the Mohs scale, a cryptocrystalline quartz with bold flowing bands of red and golden yellows in a field of gray. This is a material that will last eternally, simply because it is so hard and tough. I bookmatched the scales and polished them to a vitreous finish.
  • The knife feels extremely solid and stout in the hand; it's a thick, strong feel, not a lightweight knife at all. The simple angled file cuts on the spine give the thumb or forefinger a good purchase, and the smooth handle feels great in the hand. The balance point is just behind the front bolster, the knife feels like a spear in the hand. Because the blade is fairly straight and with the drop point, the knife is incredibly easy to sheath.
• Sheath: I wanted to make a distinctive yet commensurate sheath for the knife, so it's a stout one made of thick 9-10 oz. leather shoulder. I did full panel inlays of rayskin, a very tough material of interlocking bone. This particular rayskin has a black background with light gray "tips" at the surface which matches the gray and black of the knife well. The front and back panels are full, and the strip of inlay at the belt loop is an elegant stripe. I stitched the sheath together with black polyester, dyed the leather black, and applied three coats of lacquer for water resistance and longevity.
• A beautiful and incredibly strong knife at home in any collection; a knife that begs to be used!

Thanks, B. H.!